Well, it's that time of year when I motor around one of the Great Lakes. The previous two were easy decisions. Lake Michigan is a stone's through from me and it made sense to go there first. Then, everything I've read about Lake Superior as the "crown jewel" of the Great Lakes, the "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, its wolf-like shape, made going there next easy too.
Three lakes (Erie, Huron, Ontario) are left to complete before I end my Great Circle obsession. It seems simple to just pick one and go. But I rarely make decisions that simply. If I select the Lake Erie Circle Tour, I can go over some familiar ground and visit three states (OH, PA, NY) I've yet to cover on two wheels. That would be a huge bump in expanding my "Where I've traveled" map at the bottom of this blog. Lake Huron adds nothing new but allows me to hang out in Ontario much of the time, which would be absolutely fine with me too. Lake Huron poses another question. Do I have the time to do it justice and go all the way around the lake and Georgian Bay. As William Murphy says in, Motorcycling Across Michigan, about Georgian Bay, "...it's sometimes referred to as the sixth Great Lake"--it's that large! If I go that far, I'd want to go around the whole thing! Lake Ontario is out of the question for this summer because I think I'd want more time than I actually have.
If you're interested in the Great Lakes Circle Tours, I highly recommend Murphy's book on Michigan and his book, Motorcycling Across Ohio, not just because he outlines these tours better than anything else I've read, but because each book will detail more trips that you will ever have time to take. Reading about them in the dead of winter gets me through the harsh cold and gray days here. You can trust Murphy's every word--he's traveled these places and knows well the endorphin-releasing roads and the must-see historical sites.
I'd like to put 10,000 miles on my bike, Jesse Owens, before its forced hibernation over the winter. With 3000 miles on it now, I still have many miles to go. At minimum, I'll only add a couple of thousand miles with one of the lake trips, which I'm looking forward to doing. Still to come on the trip wish-list are OH, TN, NC and that ever waning opportunity to go to Nova Scotia this year.
Anyone been around Erie or Huron and can share a preference of one over the other? I can devote about 8 days to the trip. I'm leaning toward Erie but I'm wishy-washy and can be convinced to go elsewhere. I just really want to get on two wheels and go...
Ride safe!
